Daily Times

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, presiding over a provincial meeting to review polio eradication efforts, expressed concern over the detection of seven cases and reaffirmed his commitment to eradicating polio from the province.

The meeting was held at the CM House on Friday. It was attended by provincial ministers, Dr. Azra Fazal Pechuho, Saeed Ghani, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Commissioner Karachi Hassan Naqvi, Secretary to CM Raheem Shaikh, Additional IG Police Imran Yakoob, provincial secretaries, and others. The divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners attended the meeting through video link. Irshad Ali Sodhar, Provincial Coordinator of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) gave a detailed briefing to the CM on the current polio situation and the performance of the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) program. It was pointed out that Sindh had reported seven polio cases this year, including three from Karachi, two from Hyderabad, and one each from Sujawal, and Shikarpur. On this, the CM emphasised the urgent need for coordinated actions to reach every child and eliminate the threat of polio.

Murad Shah directed the Minister of Health Dr Azra and the Minister of Local Government Saeed Ghani to improve immunisation by involving elected representatives to avoid refusal.

Secretary of Health Rehan Baloch, Secretary Local Government Khalid Hyder Shah, and commissioners from various divisions shared their insights on the challenges encountered in their respective divisions and the measures being taken to ensure complete immunization coverage.

Minister Health Dr Azra highlighted the progress made during recent campaigns, including the fractional Inactivated Polio Vaccine (f-IPV) campaign in August and the Sub-National Immunization Days (SNID) campaign in September, which successfully vaccinated over 9.4 million children across the province. The CM expressed concern over the continued detection of the poliovirus in environmental samples, underscoring the need for intensified efforts to safeguard all children from the disease.

Adl IG Police Imran Yakoob (on behalf of IG Police) assured the meeting of the police’s unwavering commitment to the safety of frontline workers, recognizing their critical role in reaching every child, even in challenging environments. Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah reaffirmed the provincial government’s full support for polio eradication efforts, stressing that the commitment to wiping out the disease is unshakeable.

Chief Minister Murad Shah praised the dedication of frontline workers, district administrations, and all stakeholders involved, acknowledging the success of the f-IPV and SNID campaigns as a positive step toward a polio-free future. He directed all departments to collaborate more effectively, overcome operational gaps, address vaccine refusals, and ensure that no child was missed during the upcoming National Immunization Days (NID) campaign later this month.

The Chief Minister reiterated that polio eradication remained the top priority for the provincial government and called upon all officials and stakeholders to redouble their efforts, particularly in high-risk and under-immunized areas. He concluded by reaffirming Sindh’s unwavering commitment to a polio-free Pakistan, urging continued vigilance and collective action to protect every child from this preventable disease.

“We can defeat polio together. I appeal to all parents to support us in protecting their children from this crippling disease, which is rapidly spreading and posing a grave threat to our future generations,” said Murad Shah.

Separately, United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ambassador Hamad Obaid lbrahim Salem Al Zaabi called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at CM House on Friday. UAE Consul General to Karachi Bakheet Ateeq Al Remeithi and Secretary to Chief Minister Rahim Shaikh were also present on the occasion.

They discussed investment, trade relations, bilateral relations and mutual affairs. A detailed discussion was held on the standard cultivation of dates in Sindh province. Syed Murad Ali Shah said that they intended to plant high-quality date palm plantations in Sindh. The Sindh government wanted to promote palm cultivation, he added. The UAE ambassador said that the United Arab Emirates would provide full cooperation to the Sindh government.